First, there were the comments by MLS Commissioner Don Garber at a press conference held in Columbus, where he said: "There's always this buzz about Copa Lib every now and again as if we're engaged in conversations with Conmebol about it, and we're not at all. We've got to get more engaged with getting better in our regional tournament."

Then came the kibosh from South American headquarters at CONMEBOL, where they denied there were any talks as claimed by Lance.

"There is no possibility that MLS teams participate in CONMEBOL tournaments," CONMEBOL spokesperson Nestor Benítez told FutbolMLS.com. "Not even a Panamerican Cup. That's the reality today although I don't know about the future."

Sources close to CONCACAF also confirmed to FutbolMLS.com that there have been no discussions with CONMEBOL about MLS teams in Copa Libertadores.

The last time an MLS team participated in an official CONMEBOL tournament was in 2007 when D.C. United were involved in the Copa Sudamericana and suffered elimination at the hands of Mexican side Chivas Guadalajara.